Page 178 of Sword & Sacrifice

Echo stared at a point on the wall, unable to meet her eyes.

Because he feels guilty for his part in the merchant’s death? No, there’s something else. “It didn’t end there, did it,” she whispered.

Echo’s prominence bobbed as he swallowed. “He didn’t die, is the problem. Everett expected him to take the easy route and fished him out of the water. He carted him off to Dreamer’s Isle where he set up a mockery of a trial, allowed the crowd to decide how to handle him. Because the thing is, right up until the end, the merchant never paid his contract. It didn’t matter that Everett had stolen everything of value from him—he had to pay his debts on his own.

“Another crew offered to take the man onto his ship and send his ‘wages’ to Everett. Every coin he made went straight into Everett’s pocket for four months. I don’t know if the man finally paid his debt, or if he died from overwork. I do know that no one else has tried to welch on their protection contracts since.”

Emmaline sat quietly for a long time, absorbing these details of her father. Even once she’d finally met him, she hadn’t learned anything real about him. He’d been stern but soft-spoken and smiled whenever he thought of her mother. Not quite the man Emmaline had imagined but also not the type of person who would bargain with a traitor. Yes, the bargain was to save her mother, but the way he’d spoken about her … not as a person whose safety he wanted to ensure, but a possession he wanted returned to him.

At some point, Echo bid her goodnight, though Emmaline hardly noticed him leaving. They would be arriving in Litus tomorrow, which meant she might see her father again. She had no idea how she would face him now that she knew what kind of man he was.

We’re happier without him, Mama had said. And oh, how Emmaline wished she had listened.

Chapter Sixteen

Emmaline stood at the ship’s rail all afternoon, her eyes locked on the Bellacostan shore. From a distance, there wasn’t much to see except the vague suggestion of buildings and the various ships coming and going. Surely, if there’s so much activity, it can’t all be burned to the ground. But no matter how much she tried to convince herself, anxiety coiled tight around her heart.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” someone asked as they settled beside her.

Emmaline turned to find Adviser Cal also focused on the nearing shore.

“My favorite part of traveling is coming home to this view,” he continued. “It’s funny. I rarely turn back to look at it when I’m leaving, but returning … gods, I can never take my eyes off it. Of course, it might be my last time to enjoy such a sight.”

“What do you mean?”

Cal blinked, as if coming out of a daze, like he’d forgotten he was speaking out loud to someone rather than musing to himself. A bittersweet smile quirked his lips. “It would be reasonable for His Majesty to distrust an adviser who disappeared in the middle of a coup. I’ll be happy if he simply demotes me instead of branding me a traitor.”

“Silas wouldn’t do that,” Emmaline said firmly. “He’ll give you a fair chance to explain yourself.” Even when Archer had forced Silas out of the palace, or when soldiers attacked the cottage, Silas had tried to understand their motives.

Cal watched her for a moment before bowing his head in acceptance. “You probably know him better than I do. I never quite saw beyond Alistair’s puppet to understand our king’s true strength. I hope you’re right, and he gives me a chance to fix my mistakes.” He nodded toward the shore and said, “We’ll find out soon. We should arrive within the hour.”

He excused himself, leaving Emmaline alone to watch their slow but steady approach. Could they really protect Bellacosta from her father? Or would he turn this shore into a smoldering ruin?

A loud, distressed voice broke through her thoughts. “Why do I have to stay on the ship? Everyone else is going ashore.”

Emmaline looked over her shoulder to find Koen, his hands fisted at his side and his face burning with anger, arguing with his father and the captain.

“Because Bellacosta doesn’t need any more rats,” Echo butted in.

Captain Moira glared at them from the corner of her eye, and they snapped their mouth shut. But as soon as their captain looked away, Echo stuck their tongue out at Koen.

“Not everyone is going ashore,” Captain Moira corrected. “Most of the crew will remain behind, and your father is staying on the ship. It’s safest for you both to stay until we assess the situation.”

Koen glared at Braden as if his own father had betrayed him. “What if you need our help?”

“Like that’ll happen,” Echo muttered.

“Then we’ll know exactly where to find you,” Captain Moira said louder, speaking over them.

Koen huffed and crossed his arms, looking away from the captain. His eyes landed on Emmaline and his expression softened slightly. “Are you staying behind?”

There was no point pretending she hadn’t been listening. Emmaline left her vigil at the rail and approached the group. “I’m going ashore,” she said quietly. “I need to speak to Archer and Silas about my mother.”

“This isn’t fair,” Koen insisted. “We didn’t come all the way here to wait on a ship.”

“You also didn’t come here to die at the hands of pirates, but that’s still a possibility,” Echo said. When several shocked, disapproving glares landed on them, they raised their hands in surrender. “I’m not threatening him! I was talking about Everett! For all we know, that peaceful city is hiding a hundred pirates out for blood.”

Koen raised his chin high and declared, “I can defend myself.”